Stormy Weather (MA)
by Mommyzilla
Summary: It was a dark and stormy night...
ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended

Hi! I participated in a Fluff Fan Fiction Challenge, and this was the result. Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

"It was a dark and stormy night." Emily said before laughing.

"You know that is considered to be the worst opening line in all of literature." Elizabeth said while laughing too. Her best friend had an infectious laugh.

"I had a creative writing teacher in college who would give you an automatic F if you handed in a paper that started that way." Nadine reached into the big bowl on Em's lap and got some popcorn. "Personally I don't think it's that bad."

"It also fits the weather tonight." Emily looked over at the window where rain was pouring down in sheets. Lightening flashed and the area was lit up like a photographic negative.

"Certainly does." Liz nodded in agreement. "So what movie is next gals?"

They were having a ladies weekend away. They had arrived at Steven and Nadine's cabin yesterday afternoon and after getting settled into their rooms they went for nice long walk. This was a relatively new purchase for the married couple. The second home was about sixty minutes or so outside of Port Charles, and fairly secluded on a big plot of land. Nadine and Steven had only been up a few times before the ladies took it over this weekend.

When they woke up, late this morning because at four a.m. they had still been awake and laughing really hard, they got right down to business. In other words, why they were up here. Nadine wanted some design ideas and since that was what Liz did for a living she tried to hire her sister in-law. Tried but failed because Elizabeth was not going to charge family. Steven had grinned as he reminded his wife that he told her that was going to be the case.

This visit was planned so that Liz could get a good look around. Get a feel for the lighting, and figure out the styling. She did a few quick sketches while making notes about which stores they should go shopping in, and which catalogs she wanted Nadine to look through. She sat with her friends and they reviewed quite a few websites. It didn't take long before Liz and Nadine had agreed on a direction to go in and colors for the walls had all been selected from the swatch rings Liz had packed.

Since they spent the morning indoors they went for another walk before lunch. It was as they were finishing up the midday meal that the storm rolled in. A storm that wasn't supposed to arrive until Monday when they were back in Port Charles. Immediately their phones went off as Jason called Liz, Steven called his wife, and Johnny called Emily. The guys just wanted to make sure their ladies were okay, which they were.

They were also now stuck inside. So they decided to have a movie marathon. A horror movie marathon because both Liz and Nadine loved that genre, so did Steven which was why they had an extensive collection at the cabin. Emily on the other hand spent the majority of the movies hiding either behind her hand or under the blankets asking if it was safe to look, which made her friends laugh.

"It doesn't matter what we watch, I'm never sleeping again." Emily gave them both a glare. "Throwing in that movie about the abandoned camp was just mean. Mean." She repeated still glaring "Considering where we are that is the last thing we needed to watch."

"What do you and Johnny watch when you guys are having a night in?" Nadine asked as she put in A Nightmare on Elm Street, the original version. This would pretty much guarantee that her friend slept over her boyfriend's house for the next week.

"If he picks we watch an action movie and if I pick we watch a period piece. Unless we are watching a comedy." Emily knew none of those things would be surprising. "Do you and Jason even watch movies?"

"Of course we watch movies." Liz told her best friend. "We have cable, and one of those boxes that has all the streaming services. From time to time we even stop at the machine in the supermarket. I will admit that most of the time we just watch the science or history channel."

"You guys are such nerds." Emily said laughing. The fact that her best friend and her brother were a serious couple made her so happy. Now the only thing that was left was for them to get married at some point. Hopefully soon.

"Yeah, we are. Nerds in love." Liz said batting her eyes. Folks would probably be surprised at how smart Jason really was. He was extremely quiet if he wasn't around friends and family. For most people that translated to stupid because he'd suffered brain damage in a car accident when he was younger. Nothing was further from the truth.

"I could be with him right now, but I'm not. I'm stuck in a cabin with you guys and we are about to watch a boogeyman kill Johnny Depp. Which shows that really must love you guys." Liz ended up laughing at her own melodramatic moment.

Nadine was laughing too as she sat on the couch again and got under the covers. "Steven was working today, so I would have been by myself all afternoon, more than likely getting into trouble. Probably with both of you." Nadine had the weekend off and so did Emily. As a nurse practitioner in a pediatrician's office she generally had Saturday and Sunday off.

For Emily, who was a first year resident this was a rare treat. "Johnny only pouted a little when he realized I was spending my weekend off with you guys and not him. I promised to make it up to him." She said bobbing her eyebrows.

"Too much information!" Liz said covering her eyes. "Hello, I don't want to think about my cousin like that." She made a face. Johnny was the child of her maternal aunt. When he was ten his parents went to work overseas and he moved to Port Charles to live with the Webbers. Since the kids spent each summer growing up together in California with their maternal grandparents the living arrangement was never odd. When they were home Audrey never treated Johnny any differently and would put anyone who said he wasn't really her grandson in their place with a quickness that would make their head spin. "Nadine respects that I don't need that image in my head. Yuck. Would you like it if I told you what Jason and I were doing while in bed?"

"Point taken. I'll just share with Nadine from now on." Emily really didn't want to think about Jason and sex.

"Feel free to not share." Nadine didn't need that information about Johnny either. "Okay, its movie time."

Freddy was terrifying high schoolers, and at the same time terrifying Emily, when lightning flashed outside. It was followed by a clap of thunder so loud they all jumped. Another bolt of lightning flashed outside followed by what sounded like an explosion. Before they could move to the window to see how close that strike had been the entire cabin went dark.

"Well hell." Nadine said as she reached over the arm of the couch to open the drawer on the end table. Pulling out a flashlight she turned it on. "Stay put and I'll get the other flashlights from the pantry."

"Be careful." Liz told her sister in-law.

"I can navigate the entire cabin with my eyes closed, so I'm good." Nadine would have to relearn the space once it was redecorated.

"I can't believe the lights are out." Emily had the blanket in a death grip.

"Maybe a fuse blew, if not then I'm sure there is a generator on the property." Liz put her arm around Emily's shoulder. "It will be fine."

"I know." Emily said not really meaning it. "Should I point out that this happened in three of the movies we watched today?"

"No." Liz's nerves were stretched thin as well, but that was because of the loud boom. Thunderstorms were not her favorite things.

"Okay, I brought back one light for each of us." The one Nadine had from the living room was only slighter larger than a pen light. "As well as the big lantern flashlight."

"Where is the fuse box?" Liz asked throwing back the covers and standing up.

"Outside. I'll go." Nadine knew where it was.

"You can't go." Emily just looked at her friend. "Hello, have you not been paying attention to the movies we watched? The blonde woman who goes off on her own always dies first."

"O-kay." Nadine said trying not to laugh. "I'm not in heels though. So I should be fine."

"You're not going. I'm going." Liz wished she had some galoshes. "Do you have rain boots?"

"No. Sorry. There are some umbrellas by the door, they were the ones we kept in the car so I left them here the last time we were up." They hadn't brought up any other bad weather gear just yet. "I have some plastic bags in the kitchen. We can wrap your feet and then you can put your shoes on. The sneakers will get soaked but your feet will stay dry." It was the best Nadine could do.

"Look at you being all resourceful." Emily wouldn't have thought of that.

"I'll pass. It's warm enough that my feet won't get cold and the sneakers are far from new." Liz wouldn't have worn them on the hike if she was overly attached to them.

"Maybe we should all go." Emily said looking between her friends. "Horror movie logic dictates that when we separate bad things happen."

"Well if we are going to use horror movies as our guide, then I'll go and I'll be fine. Everyone knows the plucky brunette is always the one to survive." Nadine was not going outside in this weather. If Liz was correct her brother and sister in-law were expecting. The nurse practitioner hadn't said anything, but Steven's behavior had them all thinking baby news was coming. "Sorry Em, that means you are screwed because I see Nadine kicking deranged killer ass. Where am I going?"

"Out back on the far side of the building." Nadine told Liz. Unfortunately they didn't have a back door so the designer was going to have to walk around the building.

"If I can't the get the fuses going, where is the generator?" Liz asked slipping on her shoes.

"In the shed." Nadine didn't need to say where that was. "I have no idea if there is any gas in it. Steven has a waterproof jacket in the hall. That will offer you some protection."

"Good deal. I'll be back as quickly as I can. Why don't you give Em a hatchet or something, it might make her feel better." Liz couldn't resist the parting shot.

"Very funny, but when the guy with the hockey mask shows up you won't be laughing." Emily arched a brow as she responded.

* * *

The house had a concrete walkway circling it so the trip to the fuse box wasn't too horrible. It was when she had to leave the path and walk to the structure that water started seeping into her sneakers. "Note to self, next time I come up here pack hiking shoes." Liz muttered as she turned the powerful beam to the back wall locating the fuse box. Getting it open she saw that everything was neatly labeled. "Who decided that an external fuse box was a smart idea?" She wanted to know. Giving a quick prayer that she wasn't about to fry herself she flipped several fuses and got nothing.

"That is not a good sign." Liz turned them off and then flipped them again. With the same result. Closing the box she got back on the path and walked over to the shed. Honestly being out here alone, in the rain and the dark, was kind of creepy. No she didn't expect a maniac with a chainsaw to come bounding out of the woods, but yeah she was nervous.

The shed door creaked as it opened, because why not. Shining the light around Liz didn't see anyone, or any critters, hiding inside. "Please don't let there be bats inside." She muttered to herself. Nature didn't bother her, bats however were a deal breaker. The generator was on the left side of the shed. The instructions were faded, which meant Steven probably had it on his replace list, but still legible. Looking at the fuel gauge she saw it was sitting squarely on E, and of course the gas can was empty. She was just striking out everywhere tonight.

* * *

"Hey." Nadine opened the door after convincing Em that a serial killer would not knock to gain entrance. Poor Johnny was going to be checking under the bed for monsters when they got home. "No luck?"

"Nope. I'm going to head down the road to town and fill up the gas can." There was a twenty-four hour station about thirty minutes in the opposite direction from Port Charles. It was from that town that this cabin got electricity. "Don't worry Em, I won't buy any meat products." Liz said poking fun at her friend. They had watched Texas Chainsaw Massacre first. Which had Em saying she wasn't ever eating jerky again. "Does the fireplace work?"

"It's already lit." Nadine didn't want to get cold. "Be careful out on the road."

"Should we call the guys?" Emily looked between her friends. "Jason or Johnny could have someone run us out some gas. While we all stay locked in the house."

"If you call they are going to want us to come home." Nadine looked at Emily. Steven hadn't wanted her to come out this weekend. "They will also never let us come out here alone again." She reached behind her and grabbed the car keys. "Check in when you reach the gas station." They only had the one car.

"Will do." Liz promised grabbing the gas can. "Hand me my purse." With it slung over her shoulder she headed to the car.

* * *

"Jason, Johnny." Steven walked into the penthouse and greeted his cousin and his good friend/boss. Despite living in the same town Steven hadn't known Jason well when he was a Quartermaine. There was an age gap that meant they wouldn't have been in the same social circle despite their parents working together. Steven liked him now, and he was good to Liz, which was all that mattered.

Johnny, however, was a different story. He did know Jason before the accident because they went to school together. Again they weren't close due to different grades, and different interests. By high school Johnny had already been working for the Jerome family who ran Crimson Pointe, as a driver.

Johnny had tried to persuade Jason from going to work for Sonny, but it hadn't worked. So instead Johnny had taken the angry young man under his wing and helped him to develop a moral code stronger than the one Corinthos lived by. They both moved up the ranks quickly. When they were both enforcers they often worked together to handle threats. Johnny became a boss first when Julian got offered a larger territory. Jason became a boss just over two years later when Sonny got himself taken out for pissing off the Don.

Neither Jeff nor Carolyn were thrilled with the path their surrogate son had taken, but they didn't turn their backs on him. In fact Johnny had still been expected to show up to Sunday dinner when they lived here. Last year they moved to Colorado where Jeff was originally from so that he could take the Chief of Staff position at a hospital in Denver. Now Johnny was expected to call once a week, just like Steven and Liz.

"What's up?" Johnny looked over and could tell his cousin was upset.

"Has Emily or Liz checked in with you guys?" Steven stood close to the door because his hair was wet from the run to his car from the house. It was pouring outside. He hadn't called his wife yet because he didn't want to over react.

"No why?" Jason looked over at his company's doctor and the guy who would someday be his brother in-law. "I wasn't expecting to here from Elizabeth until she was ready to go to bed." She would call to say good night.

"Same here." Johnny told his cousin.

"Patrick said they got a report of an explosion, just outside of Derby over the emergency band." Steven passed along. That was the town closest to where the cabin was located. "No reports of injuries so far." With the world being the way it was this would have grabbed the attention of law enforcement across the state.

Both Jason and Johnny pulled out their phones. "Hey babe." Johnny said when Em picked up first. "What's going on up there?"

"Lightning strike not that far from the cabin. We are sitting in the dark waiting for Liz to get back." Emily explained to her boyfriend. Every single sound outside had her jumping in fright. She was a wimp, and had no shame admitting that fact.

"Where did Elizabeth go?" Jason wanted to know. His sister was on speaker phone.

"To get gas for the generator." Nadine leaned in and answered. Em's phone was also on speaker. "Which is why we are sitting in the dark. The fireplace is going, so we are staying warm." While yes it was summer the storm had lowered the temperature significantly.

"The generator should be full. I filled the tank before we left the last time." Steven said frowning. "I wouldn't have let you go up there without telling you that it wasn't full." His wife could handle filling it with no problem.

"Is your generator in a shed?" Johnny hadn't been out there yet.

"Yeah." Steven nodded as he answered.

"Does the shed lock?" Jason asked trying not to smirk. Sounds like the generator got sucked dry.

"Yeah, but the entire shed is slated to be replaced because it's old." Steven shook his head. The reason the place was so cheap was because it needed a lot of work.

"Some teenager thanks you for filling his gas tank." Johnny was laughing, but he was also thinking that they needed to take a trip out to the cabin. The area needed to be secured so that when the married couple, or their guests, were up there they stayed safe. Em said that Nadine was hoping to host the ladies often over the summer. "How long ago did Liz leave?"

"About fifteen minutes or so." Emily came back on the line. "She's going to call when she gets to the gas station."

"You want us to come up?" Jason asked his sister.

"No." Emily answered. "We're fine. Really. Stay put." Her first instinct had been to say yes. Letting the movies they watched get to her was silly.

"No fires from the lightning?" Steven wanted to know.

"Not around here. Everything is soaked, I doubt a fire could get going. Looking out the window I don't see a glow in the sky." Which would indicate a fire further out. "So if something is burning then it's not in the line of sight of the cabin. We're fine. I promise." Nadine didn't want him worrying about her. Growing up her family camped a lot, usually in tents, these conditions were not a hardship.

"We'll come back tomorrow morning." Emily was ready to go now, but she also wasn't in a rush to leave the safety of the cabin. The hour long drive in the storm would be harder on her nerves than waiting for the spirit of some dead camper to come kill them.

"Okay. If you need something call one of us." Steven told his wife.

"We will." Nadine promised him. "Bye." Em's phone was getting low and with the inability to charge the devices they needed to conserve battery strength. Yes Nadine had her phone, but if Em's died then they would only have the one way to reach the outside world until Liz returned.

"Bye." Steven said and listened as the dial tone came over the line. "So?"

"We are going up." Jason said turning off the television. He didn't even need to talk to Johnny to know his friend was thinking the same thing. "You want to come?"

"Yeah." Steven said like it was a no brainer. "Are we bringing them back, or staying there?"

"I have a bag in my car." Johnny always kept a change of clothing in the vehicle because you never knew what might happen.

"Me too. We can decide when we get there." Jason figured Steven had stuff at the cabin. "Steven, you and Johnny ride up in your car. I'll follow in mine. If Elizabeth isn't back at the cabin when we get there, I'll go look for her." Johnny came over in a sports cars which wasn't the best for these conditions.

"That's a solid plan." Johnny grabbed his jacket as they all headed to the garage.

* * *

"Strike three." Liz said as she pulled into the gas station. Getting out of the car wasn't even necessary because she could read the large sign in the window from her seat. The one that meant getting gas for the generator wasn't going to happen.

' _Lightning hit the main transformer. Power out all over town. Pumps aren't working. Try again in the morning_.'

"That explains the explosion." Liz said leaning back in her seat. Her car's fuel tank was fine so at least that wasn't a worry. She had enough gas to get back to the cabin and get them back to Port Charles tomorrow. Probably early. She dug out her phone from her purse. "It's me."

"You heading back?" Emily once again had her phone on speaker.

"Yeah, but I'm not bringing any gas with me. The entire town is out of power." Liz shared what she had learned. "So I'm guessing we are all sleeping downstairs tonight." The living room had two big sofas, one of which pulled out. "How is the wood supply?"

"The bin in the basement is full so we are fine there." Nadine told her sister in-law. "We will pass a comfy night."

"Our other option is to siphon the gas from my car and start the generator. If we do that then we will have to call home and have gas brought up so I can drive us to Port Charles." Liz told her friends.

"The guys called us not too long ago, so they are aware of the situation." Nadine came back on the line. "They said we could call if we need anything." She was silent for a few seconds. "We barely got them to stay home, if we call again tonight they are going to head up here. Which will mean the girls only weekend is over."

Liz was thinking there was a good chance it was over anyway. "I'm going to head back. If the rain starts letting up we should pack it in. I have no problem driving in bad weather. Give it some thought and let me know what you think. I'm heading back."

"Drive carefully." Emily told her best friend.

"Will do." Liz put the car in drive and got on the two lane highway that would take her back to the cabin. She hadn't passed a single car in the time she was out here. The rain had also been coming down at a steady rate. Still she had enjoyed being out here with her friends. Maybe Jason would be up to a weekend away, after the cabin and grounds were secured. Right now weekends away meant the Quartermaine lake house or the island. Neither of which was a bad location to visit.

The radio was on and she was singing along when another large lightning flash lit up the night. Preparing herself meant she didn't jump when the thunder clapped. She wasn't however prepared for another bolt of lightning to immediately happen. It was similar to what happened earlier, only instead of an explosion the ground shook. As far as she could figure there had been another close strike.

She never got a chance to relax because as the ground stopped rolling a small herd of deer burst from the woods on the side of the road. She hit the brakes and turned the wheel hard to the right causing the car to go into a slide. Which caused her to go off the road and into the rocky shoulder making the airbag deploy.

Liz was sitting there trying to get her heart to stop beating painfully in her chest. She had turned her head so the airbag didn't hit her in the face leaving her stunned. Pulling up the hood on her brother's jacket she grabbed the lantern flashlight and got out of the vehicle. "Shit!" She said surveying the damage to the car.

The tires themselves were fine, and that wasn't surprising. They, along with the windows and the exterior of the car were bulletproof. However going from the road to the shoulder had done damage to the axel and the passenger side front wheel was bent at an odd angle. That meant she wasn't going anywhere.

Turning the high powered beam to the road Liz scanned the area and let out a slow breath. Her car was wrecked, but she hadn't hit any deer. Might seem odd to some, but to her that was more important. Walking carefully around the car she didn't see any more damage. Since she was now dripping wet she got in the passenger seat and pulled out her cell phone.

She had several different options as to whom she could call for help. The first three were immediately rejected. Jason, Steven, or Johnny would come out with the tow truck. And if one decided to make the trip, then so would the other two.

Calling Cody or Shawn would see them telling their bosses. Jason or Johnny, respectively. Which would have the same result of her calling them directly. So they also got rejected.

The only other person with access to a tow truck that she could call was Francis. Luckily he could be bribed with brownies to help her out and not call anyone else. Liz would have to explain how the car got damaged so it wasn't like she was looking to hide what happened, she just wasn't in the mood for a lecture from her brother about how she shouldn't be out here in the first place. There hadn't been a need to call for a runner when gas was closer. Or should have been closer.

Ending the mental argument she dialed her friend's number.

"Corelli." Francis answered on the first ring. Despite having been retired for over three years he still answered the phone the same way.

He had worked for the Jerome family and when Julian relocated the Don offered Crimson Pointe to Francis. Being a boss was not something he was interested in doing. In fact he was ready to announce his retirement. So he suggested Johnny. While Maximus respected, and liked, O'Brien he wasn't sure that he was ready to be in charge. Francis said he was. The Don had agreed only on one condition. Francis would stay in the area for two years and train Johnny. Both men agreed to the proposal.

Just as Francis ended his special assignment Sonny got taken out. With Jason owning a third of the business Maximus found himself in a situation where giving Port Charles to someone else would be hard to explain. Yet at the same time the Don found himself in a similar situation to Crimson Pointe, a situation he caused by removing Corinthos. So once again Francis found himself in the role of trainer.

Jason had proven to be a quick study, which surprised no one. His job completed Francis was set to move out of the upper New York region and start his post mob life. It was really going to happen this time. Not that he was sure what that life was going to look like, but he had enough money that there was no rush to get another job. He was all packed and ready to relocate when he met Jason's new lawyer.

Diane Miller was someone he wanted to know better. So he stayed and did just that. Diane made it clear that she wasn't interested in dating someone in that life, and he made it clear that he was out by buying a legitimate company. Edward sold him a security company that he was no longer interested in and Francis turned it into a thriving enterprise. A good number of his clients were mobsters, but their exchanges were strictly legal.

"Hey Francis." Liz leaned into the seat. Hopefully the engine would still work otherwise she was going to be cold while she waited.

"Hey kid, what's up?" He was at home watching sports while Diane worked in her office.

"I need a tow truck, and I need you to not tell the guys you are sending one. I'm willing to provide you with a monthly supply of brownies for the next year to make sure the last thing happens." Liz just put it out there.

"You have an accident?" That was the first thing he needed to get clear.

"Not really." Liz explained what happened, and assured him she was fine. "So?"

Francis was grinning. "I'll call and have one sent to you." One of his clients was John Zacchara who owned a garage. He was in the area because he wanted out of the life as well, but his father had a lot of enemies. So both Jason and Johnny had agreed to place the younger man under their protection. "Never just offer payment, folks will take advantage of you." Especially since it was clear that she wanted to hide something. She had also over looked a huge loophole.

"Thanks." Liz would send him the first batch this week. "Any clue how long?" Sitting on the side of the road in the dark was wigging her out some.

"No clue. Lock your doors and sit tight. Grab the tire iron." Francis would tell John this needed to happen as quickly as possible.

"Will do." Liz hung up and moved into the driver's seat. Turning the engine she rolled her eyes when the car didn't start. She would grab the blanket as well. Crawling into the back she lowered the seat to get the items she needed from the trunk.

In his home Francis used the landline to call John, while he used his cell to send a text to Jason. Because that wasn't calling he hadn't violated the terms of the deal. Hopefully Liz wouldn't poison his brownies Francis thought laughing.

* * *

Because he was in one of the company cars Jason had hands free access to his phone. He had no idea what Stan had done, but all the cars were wired now. It was actually pretty convenient. When he got a text the system beeped. "Read text." Jason told the computer.

The mechanical voice filled the car and the message had him swearing. "Call Steven." His doctor's vehicle had all the same upgrades.

"What's up?" Johnny answered because he wasn't driving.

"Elizabeth is not at the cabin. She had an accident coming back from the gas station." Jason filled them in. Including the fact that she said she was unhurt. "I'm going to go get her, and you guys can get Emily and Nadine."

"Sounds like a plan. Call me if my sister is not being honest about the injury part." Steven knew that Liz would totally lie about that.

"Will do." Jason said looking at the clock, in another twenty minutes he would pass the turn off for the cabin, and then he would just keep driving until he found his girlfriend.

* * *

Inside the cabin the ladies jumped when the lightning-thunder-lightning combination hit again. That was followed by a crash that made them jump. "What was that?" Emily looked at Nadine with wide eyes.

"Sounds like a tree went down." She said getting to her feet. Looking out the window Nadine didn't seen anything. "I'm going to go upstairs and see if I can get a better view of the area."

"Should I come with you?" Emily was all for that.

"You probably should stay here, in case Liz returns." Nadine grabbed her flashlight. "She didn't take my keys with her. She should be back any minute now." Honestly she should have been back by now, and the fact that she wasn't had Nadine worried.

"Okay." Emily could hang out by herself for a few minutes. She was also worried about the fact that her best friend wasn't already back.

"I won't take too long." Nadine knew that her friend was seriously freaked.

"Don't rush. Tripping is a real possibility." Emily would feel guilty if Nadine hurt herself trying to get back to her. "I'll be fine."

Giving her friend a smile the nurse practitioner headed to the upper level of the house. They had five bedrooms, three faced the rear of the property and two faced the front including the master. One of the things her friends had done this weekend was to pick out rooms for future visits. She wanted them to have dedicated space in the cabin. The other two spaces would be guest rooms for rotating visitors. Not that they would be inviting just anyone to come stay.

It was hard to tell where the sound came from due to the wind so she started by looking out the windows that faced the rear of the property. Due to the darkness she couldn't really see much. Out the front windows the view was a bit better because of the position of the moon. It was from the front window that she saw the problem. "Shoot!" A tree was indeed down and it was blocking a good portion of the driveway. Liz was going to have to carefully squeeze by and hopefully she wouldn't get stuck in the mud. "Because why not." Nadine said shaking her head. She walked down the hall and down the stairs.

"Did you see anything?" Emily wanted to know.

"A tree fell down and is blocking the driveway." Nadine grabbed her phone. "Liz may need to walk to the house." Which would suck. "I'm going to call and let her know." She listened while the device on the other end of the line rang. "She's not answering."

"Why not?" Emily said worried. She didn't say it out loud, but this was straight out of horror movie number three of the day. "We shouldn't have let her leave by herself."

"I'm sure she's fine. Driving and talking on the phone in this weather can be dangerous. Even with the hands free device." Nadine tried to come up with a reason their friend would not be answering her phone.

"You don't think the tree fell on her do you?" Emily hated to even think it.

"Working with Steven has turned you into a pessimist." Nadine just gave the resident a look. Emily was indeed planning on specializing in trauma surgery. "I would have seen headlights shining from the car, which means I wouldn't be standing here talking to you."

"Good point." Emily nodded her head. "It seems like she's been gone forever."

"Yeah, it does." Nadine agreed with that statement. "I need to use the bathroom, when I come back we'll get out a game to help pass the time. Liz can play the winner when she gets here."

"That's a good plan." Emily could use a distraction.

* * *

Steven brought the car to a stop. "I guess I'll need to have someone out to pull up and haul away dead trees." He said looking at the large object blocking most of the driveway. "Not an issue I had on my list of repairs."

"City life rules." Johnny said with a cocky grin. "I grew up in a house with a lot of land around it. I was thrilled when I moved to Port Charles and got away from all that grass." Steven had been small the last time he visited the O'Brien house, Liz hadn't even been born yet. "The only break I got was when summer rolled around and I was shipped off to visit with Nana and Grampa."

"Grampa would have had a cow if one of us even attempted to touch his lawn." Steven said laughing at the memories. "I've never seen anyone more proud of grass in my life."

"You have to admit that lawn was gorgeous. I swore he was auditioning to be a PGA groundskeeper." Johnny was also laughing. When he moved in with Uncle Jeff and Aunt Carrie there was almost no yard work to do because the backyard was mostly taken up by the pool.

"He still grumbles about the fact that he doesn't have a yard anymore." Steven grinned thinking about it. Their maternal grandparents lived in an adult community in New Mexico now. They had moved to be closer to his great aunt, his Nana's sister. "Okay, enough stalling."

"How far is the walk?" Johnny was in trainers and they were going to get ruined.

"About five minutes." Steven said pulling up the hood on his jacket. They all owned waxed jackets which were common rain gear in Britain, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. They had come from Johnny's parents as Christmas gifts. The ladies more than likely didn't have theirs, so the guys grabbed the umbrellas they had thrown in the car.

"Let's go then." Johnny said getting out of the car. When they got to the top of the drive he looked over at his cousin who was pointing to a spot in the distance. "What's up?!" He had to yell due to the wind.

"I want to go check the shed! Here are the keys to the house!" Steven held them out by the front door key.

Johnny grabbed them and nodded heading for the front door. He also took the umbrella for Nadine. He was shifting the two umbrellas when he dropped the keys. Shaking his head he scooped them up from the ground. The key was silver and looking at the ring he just shook his head again. Every single key that his cousin owned was silver. Steven didn't even have those different colored toppers to make it easy to figure out what opened what at quick glance. On the porch Johnny got a little shelter from the wind and rain. He knocked a couple of time but didn't get a response. If the ladies had already gone to bed he didn't want to yell and startle them. So looking at the ring once more Johnny picked a key at random and started trying to open the door.

* * *

Emily walked out into the hall and looked around. Then she looked at her watch. Nadine had been gone for longer than what Emily thought was necessary to use the bathroom. "This is just how it happens. You get separated from your friends and then wham, the guy with the tattered sweater shows up out of nowhere. Your friends don't even scream warning you that danger is around. I'm so getting back at them for making me watch all those movies." The young doctor said trying to think of an appropriate response.

She was turning to go back into the living room when she heard a scratching noise at the door. Freezing in her tracks, her eyes widened in fright. Liz would knock, and Nadine wasn't outside. No one else should be out there. Her heart started beating hard in fright as the scratching noise came again. Someone was definitely trying to get in. The fact that it might be the guys popped into her head but then was rejected because Steven had a key. The doorknob rattled and she had to put her hands over her mouth to stifle a scream.

She started to call for Nadine but stopped. If she yelled the person on the other side of the door would hear her. Surprise was her biggest asset at the moment. Quickly she ran towards the front door and grabbed one of the umbrellas in the stand. It wasn't the best weapon but it had a nice heavy handle. She could make it work. Standing behind the door she mentally sent out a wish that Nadine didn't come down the hall just yet. When the front door opened Emily raised her umbrella and got ready to defend the house.

* * *

Jason came around the bend of the road and instantly spotted his girlfriend's car. The orange paint job announced that it was her and not another stranded motorist. For the first time in over an hour he relaxed. A little. He wouldn't relax completely until saw with his own eyes that she was unharmed. He frowned as his headlights lit up the scene and he could see that her car was badly damaged. Making a U-turn he parked behind her and as he got out of the SUV, she got out of her car too.

"Are you okay?" Jason let his eyes move over her face. He didn't care that he was getting soaked standing in the rain without any type of protection.

"I'm fine." Liz leaned up to meet him halfway for a kiss. She was getting soaked because her umbrella was still in the car, but she didn't care. "Francis called you?"

"He sent me a text." Jason now had time to think and realized that was odd. His friend hated texting.

Liz realized what Francis had done and told herself that he would have found a loop hole no matter what. "I didn't want to worry you."

"I love you Elizabeth, if you need something you should call." He urged her towards the SUV wanting to get her out of the rain.

"Wait. I need to get my purse." Liz carefully, but quickly, went to the car and grabbed the satchel. She got into the larger car and buckled up. Reaching over she jacked up the heat. "Did my brother and cousin come out with you?"

"They should be at the cabin by now." Jason closed the door. "Did you need the gas can?" He said remembering why she was out here in the first place.

"The station was closed. The power is out in the entire area." She looked over at him. "I'm going to strangle Steven for not mentioning the empty generator."

"He said he filled it before he left. I'm guessing everyone around here knows the property sold, and someone noticed the lack of activity at the house. He's lucky that gas was the only thing stolen." Jason looked over his girlfriend. "What happened?" He asked pointing to the car.

"Deer. I didn't hit any, which is good. For them and for me." A full sized deer could do a lot of damage to a car, although her upgrades probably would have prevented that. "We got another lightning strike close by and a small group of them came running from the trees."

"I'm glad you weren't hurt." Jason couldn't help himself, he leaned over a kissed her again. The urge to take her in the front seat of the car was making itself know. He wanted his hands on her to prove that she was fine. If they didn't have people waiting for them he wouldn't have stopped the suggestion from coming out of his mouth. But they did have people waiting for them. "We should get back to the cabin."

"Yeah." She could see the desire in his eyes, and honestly if hadn't pulled his mouth away they probably wouldn't have stopped at kissing. Now that she wasn't alone, Liz could admit that she'd been scared sitting in the car by herself. Relief was flooding her system at being with her guy. She wasn't expecting some boogeyman, she didn't need to imagine someone deranged. Real humans could be more evil than anything a writer could think up. To reward herself for the mature decision of not jumping him now she would let herself have him when they got home.

He put the car in gear when her hand covered his wrist. Looking over at her he smiled. "Is everything okay?"

"Thank you, for coming out to make sure I was okay." Liz knew he was also worried about his sister and Nadine, but he had come to get her first. She didn't even need to ask to know that was true.

He picked up her hand and kissed the palm. "Always." He told her before checking his mirrors and pulling back onto the road.

* * *

Nadine put the pot on the stove and looked out the window. She had gone to the bathroom like she said, and as she was preparing to walk out of the small room she flushed the toilet. Which was a total rookie move. This wasn't her first blackout and she knew that without power the tank wasn't going to refill. So instead of letting it sit empty she grab a pan and filled it back up. Em probably thought she had been killed by some evil spirit. Which meant Nadine needed to get back out front.

Before she could move she saw someone come out of the shed and grinned. She would recognize that bright red jacket anywhere. Looks like the guys had come up anyway. Instead of moving she waited to see which path he was going to take to the front door. Once she knew she went to the window and as he walked by she tapped as hard as she dared.

Steven looked up at the noise and smiled at his wife. No matter how many times a day he saw her he had that reaction. He just knew that she was out of his league, but he had asked the new nurse out anyway. To his surprise she said yes, and a year later he was buying an engagement ring. He was proud of his restraint because he wanted to propose after their third date.

The wedding was one of the best days of his life. Sharing his life with her over the past few years just built on the joy from that day. Then the stick turned blue eight weeks ago and joy got pushed to another level. They were going from a couple to a family and he was super excited, so was she. Having his wife sitting up here in the dark made him nervous, having his pregnant wife up here in the dark simply wasn't going to happen.

He pointed to the front door and watched as she nodded.

Nadine was laughing as she walked towards the doorway. If he was here then so was Johnny. Emily could calm down now. Jason had probably just kept going to get Liz. Nadine knew the guys really well. As she was stepping into the main hall she heard a yell, followed by a guy shouting and that had her running to see what the hell was going on.

* * *

The person walked inside and Emily started swinging. Whoever it just came through the door had something in their hand. Based on its length she thought maybe a machete. All the dark clothing clearly indicated that he, because in the movies it was always a guy, must be up to no good. Well whoever this lunatic was there weren't going to be killing anyone. Not tonight, not on her watch.

* * *

Johnny was patting himself on the back as he figured out which key he needed. He only had to try five different ones first. It was a wonder Steven didn't show up in the time it took to get the damn door open. One thing Johnny could say was the front door was nice and sturdy. He had given it a little jiggle and the sucker didn't budge. In the remodel, this was one thing that would not need to be replaced.

Stepping inside he didn't even get a chance to call for one of the ladies before he was attacked. Johnny prided himself on being away of his surroundings but he had been completely blindsided. He also prided himself on his quick reflexes. He had been turning to subdue who ever had gotten into the house, and had potentially hurt Em and Nadine, when he realized that the person hitting him was his girlfriend.

Retaliating was no longer an option, but just letting her whack him with an umbrella wouldn't be happening either. Instead he waited for the right time to move, because he didn't want to hurt her. When she was bringing the rain gear down for another blow Johnny reached out and snatched in out of her hands and tossed it behind him onto the porch. Turning back he just managed to deflect her knee which was coming for his boy parts. She struck out with her fist and he used that to spin her around and lock her in his arms. "Emily, relax." He needed to get her attention before she tried something else.

"Emily." Nadine had seen them struggling but didn't move forward for fear of making the situation worse. Also she didn't want to get hurt. Instead she had called out but her friend was too focused on beating up Johnny to pay attention. "Are you hurt?"

"Is she hurt?" Johnny just looked at Nadine. "I'm the one who got walloped with the damn umbrella." This was going to be funny when he stopped hurting. The ladies all did weight training, not to bulk up, but to keep their core muscles strong. Apparently it was working.

"Oh my god, Johnny I am so sorry." Emily had no idea that the lunatic was really her guy. "You can let me go now."

"Are you sure?" Johnny asked with a smirk. "I dropped two umbrellas on the floor, you might pick one up and have another go."

Steven picked up the one on the porch and came in. "What did I miss?" He asked looking at the three people in the hallway.

"My girlfriend turning an umbrella into a deadly weapon. I'll need to remember this for work." He said giving into the laughter. Not that he went out any more. He was going to remember this because there was a good bet that Em would be mortified every time he brought it up. He let her go and she turned to face him.

"Sorry." Emily looked for damage to his face and didn't see any. He was going to have bruises though. The pale skin pretty much guaranteed it. "How much pain are you in?"

"Not that much. The jacket absorbed most of your blows. Good job though turning the umbrella into a weapon. Who exactly did you expect to come through the door?" He wanted to know.

"We've been watching horror movies all day. Right up until the power went out." Nadine told the guys.

"Oh." Johnny figured he was going to have a roommate for the next week. That was fine, he loved it when Em stayed over.

Steven just tried not to laugh. At work he couldn't ask for a better resident. Emily was fearless and had a sharp mind. Apparently that fearless streak didn't come with the scrubs. She had been willing to put herself at risk to protect Nadine. He wouldn't ever forget that.

"Have you heard from Jason? We tried to reach Liz earlier and didn't get an answer." Nadine stepped around Johnny and Em so that Steven could hug on her.

"I'll call him." Johnny got out his phone. "Keep an eye on slugger for me." Yeah he was going to have fun with this. "Where are you?" He asked when Jason answered.

"I just pulled up behind Steven's car." Jason would send out a crew to handle the tree.

"Liz with you? The ladies tried to reach her earlier and couldn't." Johnny figured the answer to his question had to be yes otherwise his friend wouldn't be here.

"Yeah. Hold on." Jason looked over at his girl. "Nadine and Em tried to reach you and couldn't."

"My phone is dead. I spent a good portion of the day on it showing Nadine and Emily design ideas for the cabin. I had been planning on charging it overnight while we were all sleeping." Elizabeth explained what happened.

Jason nodded not liking that she was out there unable to call for help if needed. Thank goodness she had been able to reach Francis. He explained to Johnny what happened. "How are the ladies?"

"Good." Johnny figured he would spare his girl further embarrassment although she probably would tell Liz. Or Nadine might. "We are going to shut the place down and then head back to the car." In fact Steven had already gone into the living room to deal with the fireplace.

"I can get past the tree without getting stuck in the mud. I'll come down and get you guys so you don't have to walk in the rain." During the drive over it had really started picking up again.

"I'll let everyone else know. See you in a few." Johnny hung up and looked at his girlfriend. "No more horror movies."

"I have no problem with that. Can I stay over?" She asked hoping he said yes.

"Of course. I need to have an exam, it seems wrong to have to pay for a doctor when one inflicted the injuries." He said watching her blush bright.

"I really am sorry." Emily leaned forward and gave him a kiss.

"Apology accepted. Come on let's grab your stuff. I'm ready to head home." Johnny saw time in the tub in his future.

* * *

"It is so good to be home." Liz took off the jacket she was wearing and toed off her wet shoes. "I need to spend some time in the shower." Where she was planning on making the water as hot as she could stand it. "I don't think I ever want to own a cabin."

Jason just chuckled hanging up the coat. "Considering the number of people we know who already do, we won't need to."

"Maybe a beach house. Wait you already own one of them." Liz said looking over her shoulder and smiling at him. "I guess that covers all the normal vacation spots."

"I was actually thinking of buying a villa in Rome." Jason let her know. While he didn't need to run this by her he tried not to make major purchases without discussing it first.

"I love Rome." Liz knew that was why he picked that location to buy a home in Italy. They had explored several different regions in the country and Rome was the one she always wanted to end their trips in.

"So you approve of my idea?" He asked walking over to where she was standing.

"Yes." She went up on her toes and kissed him. "Want to join me in the shower?"

"I think that is the perfect way to end the night." He scooped her up and headed upstairs to their bedroom. In the en suite they stripped down stepped under the warm spray. "Feel good?" He asked watching as she closed her eyes in bliss.

"Yeah. I'm thawing out." Liz said with a smile. "The warm seats in the car also felt great, this however is heaven. This shower was one of the reasons I agreed to move in."

"You have mentioned liking it, and the tub, a few times." He said laughing while filling his hand with body wash. After rubbing them together he moved them over her skin helping her to wash the night away.

Liz damn near purred when he washed her. Jason was a really strong guy, yet he always managed to be so incredibly gentle when touching her. He had admitted once that because she was smaller than him he worried about accidentally hurting her. It was not something that she even spent a minute worrying about.

As he maneuvered her under the flowing water he let his mouth capture hers. In keeping with the mood he kissed her as gently as possible. This was all about seduction so there was no rush. Jason wanted to show how much she meant to him. Realistically she hadn't been in much danger, but there was a chance Elizabeth could have gotten hurt when her car spun out. With his hands he gently pushed the soapsuds down her body while at the same time caressing her skin. "You feel so good baby." He murmured low in her ear.

"I love having your hands on me." Liz responded softly. Part of her wanted to tell him to hurry, to simply take her right here in the shower. But the other part, was enjoying being cherished by her man. The feel of his fingers calloused from handling his gun scratching lightly on her skin was so arousing. He stepped closer as he kissed her and she couldn't help but push on his lower back hoping to bring their bodies closer. But apparently Jason had a plan because he wasn't going to be moved or rushed.

With her body clean he reached for the shampoo. Making sure to a massage every inch of her scalp Jason washed her hair and gently rinsed it being sure to untangle the long silky strands. With her head tipped back he couldn't help but nibble on her neck, which elicited a soft giggle from her. His girl was ticklish, something he enjoyed exploiting during their love making.

He turned Elizabeth so that her back was to his chest, making sure to keep a steadying arm around her waist, and pulled her close. His cock rested against her firm bottom, and that made him moan. He pushed forward and since the friction was so incredible he couldn't help but do it again. Getting back to the job of pleasuring her, he guided one of her legs up to the seat in the shower so that she was open to his fingers.

Using soft strokes he made sure to touch every inch of her sensitive skin. Her pants and soft moans let him know how much Elizabeth was enjoying herself. When her hips started moving he reached up and removed the handheld showerhead and aimed the water stream at her hard clit.

Elizabeth jerked against Jason's body as the pleasure spiked hard. This wasn't something they had done before. She had played with the showerhead while alone. Liz had to admit that having him use it made the experience way hotter. She heard whimpering and realized the sound was coming from her. Just as it became too much, just before her body writhed in orgasm he moved the showerhead.

Letting the warm water flow down her leg as he planted kisses across her shoulders and up the nape of her neck. Jason couldn't help but chuckle at how much she had enjoyed his watery surprise. He knew she liked the handheld showerhead, and why. The thought of her pleasuring herself was hot, and now he got to see exactly how that worked. When he felt that she had calmed some, but was still aroused he brought the water back.

The man was going to kill her, was all Liz could think. Three times now he had brought her to the brink of coming before backing down. Her nerves were strung taut by his teasing. She knew she wasn't the only one on edge, because she could feel his cock twitching against her bottom. But he wasn't rushing, he seemed determined to get as much pleasure out of this shower as possible. She was brought out of her musing when he once again brought the showerhead up.

"You ready to come baby?" Jason is a husky whisper.

"Oh, yes." Was her moaned response.

He pushed a button on the showerhead and the water changed from a steady stream to a pulsing one as he pushed his throbbing shaft deep inside her body. He also increased the water pressure. It was enough to take her over the edge but not enough to hurt her. He started stroking hard and fast when her internal muscles contracted around him. Her orgasm continued to crest and she screamed his name as she came a second time he let himself follow. He dropped the showerhead and wrapped his arms tight around his girl as his hips continued to pump until he was spent.

The pleasure started in her core and simply shot out throughout her entire body. As it ebbed her knees buckled and Jason had to support her because none of her limbs were responding to the commands her brain was sending out. She could not have held in the scream that burst forth from her lungs if she wanted to. And there was nothing quick about this orgasm. It seemed to go on forever, keeping her locked in the grip of such intense pleasure it was almost pain. Their love making was always amazing, but this had been epic.

He held her close as she came down from her high and then carefully pulled from her body. She was getting her breathing back to normal, but occasional aftershocks still shook her body. Turning her he took her mouth in a heated kiss enjoying the feel of her hands moving over his back. "Ready for bed?" Jason smiled at her as he pushed her wet hair off of her face. She was so beautiful it often left him fumbling for words.

"I am. I missed having your arms around me last night." Elizabeth never slept well when they were apart. Generally it only happened when he had to take a business trip, and she just couldn't get time off to go with him. He stepped out first and dried off before holding open a heated towel for her. After they were dry he carried her to bed and slipped her between the cool sheets. When she was wrapped up in his embrace she let the last of the night go. It was good to be home.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews!


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